DEWA increases strategic cooperation with Huawei on AI and digital transformation

HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has held a video conference with Charles Yang, President of Huawei Middle East; Marwan Bin Haidar; Executive Vice President of Innovation and the Future at DEWA; Mohammad Bin Sulaiman, CEO of Data Hub Integrated Solutions (Moro), a fully-owned subsidiary of DEWA; and Matar Al Mehairi, Chief Information Officer & Chief Innovation Officer at DEWA.

The meeting strengthened cooperation with discussions on promoting bilateral relations, and sharing best international practices and experiences to protect against the COVID-19 coronavirus. This includes precautionary measures to ensure the health and safety of employees and customers and improve business continuity. The meeting also discussed best international solutions, experiences, and practices in innovation, disruptive technologies, smart grids, digital transformation, automation, cloud computing, and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

During the meeting, Al Tayer talked about DEWA’s precautionary measures to combat the pandemic, and protect the health and safety of employees, customers, and society.

Al Tayer said that DEWA works in line with the directives of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who instructed Dubai Government organisations to implement services 10 years ahead of other cities around the world. In line with its vision to become a globally leading sustainable innovative corporation, DEWA has come a long way in this area by launching Digital DEWA, its digital arm, to redefine the concept of utilities and create a new digital future for Dubai. DEWA will become the premier digital organisation in the world by using autonomous systems for renewable energy and storage and expanding AI and digital services.

Al Tayer commended the strategic partnership with Huawei, which is a global leader in telecommunications and information technology, the company’s support to governments, and China’s experience in handling COVID-19 pandemic. He also praised Huawei’s support for DEWA’s electricity and water digital infrastructure.

DEWA is working with Huawei to promote a new digital future for Dubai in key areas that align with DEWA’s objectives in the Dubai 10 X initiative. This has already started with DEWA’s Fiber Optic Backbone Upgrade as part of the InfraX project. This has enabled it to apply Video Surveillance as a Service (VSaaS) and a Virtual Desktop Interface, which will be provided through MORO’s digital platform.

The partnership between DEWA and Huawei also includes a number of future projects such as Big Data Management, Perimeter and ICT Infrastructure Security, Cyber Security, and Information Security among others. A joint team is working on pilot programmes using the latest technologies to develop new initiatives. These include Research and Development (R&D), new services for customers, and ready-to-market or immediately actionable vital initiatives.